The Night Stalker
by NyteGale
Summary: The story of one guardian of the tower, in a rather unique style; instead of a linear tale this entire story will just be a series of one shots that happen in no particular order at all, just letting you explore the Destiny world at your leisure. This leaves me alot of wiggle room for the damn lore being so confusing and not itself linear! Reviewing not required, but appreciated.
1. Solitary Hunter

**Hey guys, I know my profile on this site has felt a bit dead. Well I have no excuse that won't sound stupid. But I am a Destiny fan, and I hope my fans are too. So I present to you the tale of a solitary Night Stalker that will be told in one shots instead of typical linear chapters that happen in no particular order. Enjoy! I wanted this first one to reveal her to you without really telling you much, because hey the Grimiore cards are vague so I get to be vague too!**

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The air appeared to bear itself down with a heavy yellow color; it looked stifling and dense over the Venus cliff side. There was a strange stillness over the surface whilst a mess of spindly clouds moved with haste over the skyline. All was occasionally broken in the blue and yellow tapestry by a hailing of white asteroids streaking the sky periodically.

A large boot splashed into an orange puddle, causing the reflection of the sky within it to shiver and shake. The boot belonging to a big brute of a man; titans usually were. Through a helm harboring nothing resembling a face, just a smooth milky white surface he turned to the Titan he was traveling with.

"I hate that damn helmet." The large man mumbled at his companion.

He received only a grunt in return; titans really weren't much for conversation. But the cycloptic helmet he was sporting had the tendency to give one flashbacks to the Vex Minotaurs that ran rampant over the surface of Venus, and this titan felt that he had killed enough of them today. Titans were renowned for being made of stone; however it was fairly common knowledge that even just holding the Vex technology could cause one to enter hallucinatory fits.

His exo companion had been so proud of the sheer amount of Vex he'd killed in his time he sported that helmet like a damn national award. The human didn't want to steal his thunder, so he chose to hold his tongue.

"What the hell are we even waiting for?" The exo's deep voice came forth from the Vex tech.

"Tah' hell if I know, since Zavalah sent that Hunter off to Phobos pods of these "taken" have been popping up all over the place. So of course it's _our_ job to root them out."

"So he sends a hunter to do a titans job… and then we get to clean up after them… Nice Zavalah."

Their footsteps continued to move over the soft ground as the wind picked up, sending the clouds overhead moving faster than before. The titans looked all around at the mess of dead Vex they had taken care of minutes before, not sure what exactly they were waiting for. The human adorned in white and black pulled up his ghost, it materialized hastily over his large hand.

"Where's this disturbance you were picking up?"

"I think we may have to just sit tight for a minute… getting some peculiar readings…" It floated off seemingly fascinated by a hobgoblin body.

The exo took a seat on a weird cube that seemed pointlessly scattered around wherever the Vex could be found, and then began neurotically checking his Hakke pulse rifle. The human shook his head at his companion and his own ghost, as if to say 'wonderful' in a greatly sarcastic tone. Without even looking up the exo retorted;

"Patience is a virtue."

"Not right now it isn't." the human snapped in irritation.

He rolled his head around and his eye caught a strange sight on the cliffs overhead.

"A hunter?" He guessed in a low tone.

The exo turned his head around and looked to where his companion was observing. There was in fact a lone hunter sitting in a relaxed pose above them, her shoulder guards gleamed silver creating a glare that cut through the golden light and contrasted sharply with the dark blue her shader produced.

"How long has she been up there?" The ghost floated up to his guardians head and asked in a whisper.

"I don't know…" He said louder than he needed to.

"But she didn't seem like she was concerned with helping us kill all those Vex."

The exo chuckled seeing his friend in this kind of a mood and returned to his weapons. She didn't even seem to register their presence as she tossed her left leg over her right knee and leaned back even further.

"Hunters…"

He never cared for their lone wolf attitude, they were always in the here one day and gone another crowd. And it felt like in a strike they ere always the first to happily run in and get themselves shot to shit.

But at least they didn't talk down to him like pretty much every warlock he had ever met. He particularly hated them in the crucible; they always seemed to be the snipers. And he of course felt it was more fun to fight someone face to face rather than cower behind distance.

Before he could finish the rant going on within his head the air around all of them suddenly changed from the pleasant tapestry of golden yellow to a heavy and clouded white.

"This is it!" His ghost proclaimed vanishing back to his guardian.

"The disturbance."

"Hunter, to arms!" The titan shouted upward, however the hunter was already gone.

"Focus!" his friend called to him as the ground shook all around them.

Large shadowy spheres erupted from the corruption in the air; they began to bleed into the space around them. Larger and larger they became, like growing black puddles unaffected by gravity. And at last, as quickly as it had started they burst forth ghostly white figures.

Vex, but also not Vex… they were taken. They shuddered and writhed in unnatural ways striking fairly disturbing poses amidst this. Made all the more disturbing when a shotgun was raised the noise rising from within it causing their heads and torsos to explode fourth in a mangled mess of solids and liquids. Before these parts could touch the ground, each and every trace of the dead monstrosity blipped back out of existence.

"Now it's a party." His ghost spoke in his helm.

No words necessary, the two practiced warriors ran at the foes that appeared eager to replace any and all they destroyed. The exo's pulse rifle tore through each Goblin and Hobgoblin with ease, its owner practiced and capable of rooting out the weakest areas in any battle chasse. A horrid electronic noise could be heard behind him just then, he turned and looked up a taken Minotaur.

It swung its mammoth arm down upon the guardian; he met this strike with his own fist. They slammed together with the sound that metal striking metal makes at high speeds, it echoed from the ancient Vex metals that surrounded them and caged them into the valley cliffside, like teeth. He pulled his arm back, wincing a bit with the pain the Minotaur came in for another strike, and before he could ready his machine gun, it exploded in his face.

His human companion stood behind it, shotgun in hand. The two glanced around as the destruction of the one beast seemed to cause more of everything to break on through to their dimension.

"They didn't like that." The exo chuckled with his machine gun readied.

He made a path for the both of them through the masses pouring down on them with the Thunderlord leading the way. They emerged onto a vex wall, seemingly growing out of the ivy and other dense vegetation, looking down at a rather discouraging sight. Another Minotaur looked back up and them, it reared back unnaturally and shot a large black sphere in their direction.

"Whoa!" The human dived down.

His exo friend backed down the hill and took cover as it passed over his head. The human landing on the mushy ground with a grunt began shooting his way through the spares now closing in from all sides. They burst and popped out of existence until he finally had to deal with the inevitable reload. There were simply too many, they were closing in around him.

"Huraaah!" A deep voice howled from above.

Next there was a boom that engulfed all other sound near them. The human looked up to see his friend in the center of a crater. Electric pulses surrounding them and killing what was left of the taken there, the Striker then pulled his fist from the moist soil and stood up.

"Quit screwing around." He chuckled.

"I wasn't in any danger." The human insisted finishing his auto rifles reload.

The two turned to see the Minotaur launching more blackness in their direction. The exo ran in one direction and the human in another, tossing grenades than landed, landed and stuck to the creature they watched with eagerness as it exploded in a hail of arc and solar energy. Their surroundings were suddenly silent again.

"Was that it?" The human's ghost inquired.

It was only a moment things were in the calm however, on the stone walk before them, the largest taken they had ever seen appeared. Surrounding himself with many more Minotaurs, and even what looked to be fallen Captains. All of which had their gazes fixed steadily on the two titans.

"You gotta be shitting me…" The human grumbled.

He sounded far more annoyed than worried. They prepared to go in, but stopped in their tracks, one of those vex cubes suddenly exploded; as if it had been shot. The taken all staggered this way and that. And then another exploded, this time a shot was heard the titans turned their heads at this.

The solitary hunter, bright gleaming bow in hand, orange cloak sailing over the breeze with a coyotes face looking up from it. She leapt upward from her perch. A single shot of violet heat lashed from the bow with a noise that rang out like the cracking of a whip. The solitary shot pierced through the heart of what was once a fallen Vandal, destroyed him in a powdered heap of void dust. And the remaining purple sphere tethered what was left; they writhed and pulled at their bonds to no avail, too distracted by this to shoot at anything.

"Aim for the big one!" The hunter cried readying her sniper.

Without hesitation the titans did just that, the exo with the mighty Thunderlord, and the human creating one large clack like the blacksmiths of old; brought a hammer fourth from pure sunlight. He threw it forward, letting it coat them all in a cleansing light.

The damage these three guardians of the tower fixed onto this massive monstrosity seemed to be shared by all who remained tethered. And sure enough, one by one with the horrible screams of the tortured and mutilated they began to explode.

Their horrid cries carried on until there was nothing left in that spot but, ash and smoke. It mixed and mingled into the air that returned to its golden hue, calm rested upon the jungles and primordial Vex structures again.

"The disturbance is gone, the readings are regulating all around this area." The Sunbreakers ghost appeared.

"Thanks for the he…" The titan stopped mid sentence.

The place where the hunter had stood over head was now empty again.

"Already gone…" The exo observed coming to his friend's side.

"What was that bow?"

"She's a Night Stalker…" The Sunbreaker replied.

"Never heard of it."

"I'm not surprised… you don't see too many of them anymore."

"So she is cleaning up her mess then…" The Striker made the connection before his human companion.

The human looked back at him; titans still weren't much in the way of conversation. So he let out a simple;

"Guess so."

They both left that day, with the slight feeling of new found respect for the hunters of the tower. But not much, titans are far too stubborn to be moved in such a way.


	2. The Search

"When I'm asleep here, it's like I'm awake there."

The breeze blew through her, through the trees above her; lifting orange and red leaves up, giving them a life of their own. They danced downward, possessed by the winds, and settled frantically around the Hunter. She sat alone, looking out over the dense wilderness that had reclaimed the city long ago. The sun was rising over what was left of the once charming and aged looking city, and she sat, on an ancient war machine of the Golden age. Leaning against the open hatch atop the tank, she was caught within the undefined line between being asleep and being awake.

The soft golden light of dawn began to birth shadows; they emerged from the tall stone structures of the once quaint little town. Looming down over her, this was her third night with no sleep; although she had only been on earth for several minutes. Her eyelids pulled themselves down, begging to be reunited with the lower lids, she could only happily oblige. As much as she enjoyed her sleep, and the memories it often returned to her it seemed increasingly difficult to come by of late.

"I think this place was called Wales." Her Ghost appeared by her shoulder.

She didn't even seem to notice the little robots presence, as she began to doze, her head drifting back beneath her helm.

"Why did you choose a place like this to nap anyways?" Her floating companion sounded a little peeved, was she ignoring him?

The shadows began to bend and grow taller as the first light poked its head through the clouds. All of the ancient architecture, covered in ivy, moss and other various forms of earthly vegetation. The lonely and howling breeze returned to the foliage sending it sprinting down what was once a street. All still littered with dead cars, and fallen caches.

"Well I have been up for three days…" She sighed at the Ghost not letting her lie.

"I know…" He sounded penitent.

"But, I mean why not sleep, you know in the ship, or at the Tower? We could get ambushed out here, this is fallen turf."

"I don't know." She sighed.

"Maybe sleeping here will… bring something back." Her tone grew low.

She had not been at the tower in nearly a month, but this wasn't unusual. Not for Hunters and especially not her. Her Ghost flew in front of her face, trying to guess at her thoughts. She didn't move or turn away; her eyes were closed beneath the yellow-eyed helmet.

"You still mad at Cayde?"

"If he wants to lose bets because he thinks I shouldn't have come back from the Vault of Glass, well it's none of my business."

"He said it was nothing personal. And you weren't part of the fire team that put an end to Atheon-"

"So I was doomed?" She raised her head.

"No, I… well honestly, I think Cayde has a bit of a gambling problem." The Ghost whispered, as if Cayde would hear.

"Well I went in, cleared out the Wolves and now Skolas can now rot in the Queen's Prison for all I care." She yawned the words, and leaned her head back once again.

A silence fell over the two, the Ghost floating upward, taking the area in. There were no signs of life besides birds and insects anywhere.

"Funny you would pick this place…" He broke the silence.

"I was here, nearly a century ago. Did you know that?"

"No, little light."

"How many times do I have to say "don't call me that?" He barked in a fluster.

She simply chuckled, and then reached out a hand for him to perch above. He did so looking back up to her as she spoke again. She propped herself upwards, crossing her legs and slouching to speak with him.

"Why all the way out here?"

"You mean why not in Russia? Well the Cosmodrome? ...Not the first place I looked."

She tilted her head, giving the cue for him to go on.

"Well all Ghosts were born, right when the Traveler died. Its last breath... I didn't know much at the time, just that I was supposed to find you. There were alot of places to check..." The little Ghost sounded almost sad.

Perhaps it had felt alone? At this moment it flew from her hand to a position just over her head, looking at the rising sun, the light now sharpening into the morning.

"Centuries went by, and almost all of the others found their Guardians. As I saw them all do this, I wondered if I would ever find you."

The Ghost faded away, back into her being again, into her light.

"And then I did."

"Guess we were just late to the party..." She shrugged it off.

"So what was it like? Before the collapse?" Her Ghost inquired.

She didn't answer, just looked down at the cobblestones below the heavy machine. Sleep was frightening for her. While curiosity always left her with a glimmer of hope; it was difficult to tell what was a memory, and what was simply a dream. At the same time, something called 'The Collapse': would you even want to remember?

"I know you were alive before the collapse... I can see some of your memories more clearly than others." The Ghosts voice cut her thoughts off.

"Was it all really as amazing as people said?"

"If you see the golden age, you remember more than I do, Ghost."

The Hunter stood, her bones crackling under her skin. With a small hop down to a stone wall she proceeded down it, until she came to a tree growing out of it. She hopped down again walking out into the street, seeking even the shadow of a memory. The Cosmodrome had given her little more than a war nightmare. She could never seem to find anything of significance...

"Someday we'll reclaim it all... right?"

"Sure." She replied, sounding less than honest.

The Nightstalker turned and looked out at what was left of the town below, rolling down the hill. The golden age was gone; there was no going back now. This place was dead, in every sense of the word; she had nothing more to find by lingering here.

Again, her search was fruitless.

"So which place is next on the list?" She asked her Ghost, pulling him up over her hand.

He looked back up at her, his little black shell shining in the light.

"You seem to have some registered memory in a place called...Ohio. Maybe we should head there?"

"Alright... to orbit."

She sounded defeated, but her small companion always to make her trust to hope. He was good company, if she had to get dragged back into the struggle of life, she was glad to have the little light as a guide.

"Heh, no rest for the weary." He chimed.

And then, the Nightstalker and himself vanished quite entirely, leaving the dead place behind.

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 **Little peak into how some Guardians deal with their lack of memories I suppose. I'd actually really like a critique on this chapter; if you liked it. Or hell if you hated it lemme know why too.**


	3. Nightstalker's Dream

**Hey guys, this is a really short chapter I know. But I only put it in to shamelessly promote myself. There is a comic on my DeviantArt that this goes with:** **art/Nightstalker-s-Dream-ONE-567368636**

 **Just paste and go. This is a direct sequel to the chapter 'The Search' as well. Hope you like!**

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The Tower was always a buzz with activity, 24 earth hours a day. It was no surprise to anyone there, or in the city that Guardians would keep unusual hours. There were aliens to destroy, Darkness to repel, and a lost Golden Age to find after all.

But that is not to say that it was impossible to find a quiet space to decompress amongst the rabble. One such room was one were the Guardian known as Loreley could often be found. It was located just under the shiplot; just a small lounge where Guardians and people who worked in the Tower would come. Listen to music, read books, or just talk.

She did have a habit however, of throwing knives into the map that hung near one couch. Ikora had gotten on her case more than a few times about it, like that would stop her. A Gunslinger by nature, she would stab the knives into places she had been. Not every place, no just the ones that had shed just a little more light on the past; hers to be precise.

Although now forced to wear the title of Nightstalker, as they were becoming fewer and fewer active in the field, throwing knives were just part of who she was. But hey, it wasn't difficult to pick up the Void; the aiming of a shot, the thrill that the Gunslinger lived for was basically the same with a bow. And she was even beginning to see the potential of smoke grenades over her throwing knives that she missed so.

And yet no, she was still a Gunslinger deep down. And that was how she would remember who she was… before. All Guardians had been soldiers in the long dead war, and they were always awoken with their same combat skills in place.

She leaned over the coffee table, near her bottle of Absinthe, the real stuff too, not that lime green shit. It was difficult to find these days, but someone down in the city below used their old family recepie to make an excellent brew.

Loreley had just recently returned to the tower after several months of M.I.A. She had grown weary of her search coming up fruitless on the long, winding road. All she had to show for it now were a few dead Ghosts she had been sitting there for hours trying to decrypt. Mental exhaustion won out over her mind now, and she placed her head down on the table and let sleep take over.

It was only a few moments later that a charismatic and familiar voice was heard to her immediate side.

"Long day Hunter?"

She blunk her blurry eyes up at him. Looking on through one weary green eye, there was another Guardian; another Hunter in fact, looking down fondly at her. He wasn't particularly tall, but he had a kind face with strong features. His eyes were the same brown as his hair; they were also warm and inviting. Everything about this stranger rang bells in her memory… but she could not place from where.

"You sound so familiar…" She looked at the Ghost next to his shoulder; its shell also seemed familiar.

"But, I've never seen you before." She concluded meekly.

She was too tired to try and figure this out anyways.

But no, she was asleep. When did she fall asleep? The strange and familiar Hunter looked on down at Loreley. It looked as though she had been sleep there for hours.

"Yeah, you rest up." He nodded.

Taking steps towards the seat opposite to her, Cayde-6 the Hunter Vanguard sat before her. The Exo wondered for a moment when she had wandered back in. It was always like her to come and go, he should know it was the biggest trait all Hunters shared. He chuckled trying not to be jealous of her. He raised his hand up, speaking as if she could hear.

"Cause' I got some bets, riding on what crazy thing you're gonna kill next."

He then swooshed his hand to the side, like an implied shrug. Of course it was nothing personal; Loreley just had a history of hunting 'big game'.

"So, you'll be better with a steady hand…"

He laughed to himself. The room was quiet again, except her breathing. His face plates contorted to something along the lines of a smile.

"Glad you're back, Lore." He whispered.


	4. The Crucible

Adrenaline fed the pounding of his heartbeat in his ears, his lungs screamed at him to stop while his eyes held the promise of getting the kill right before him. This lesser Warlock could run; but he could not hide. With one final exquisite shot from the Badger Scout, the Voidwalker splashed in a bloodied heap to the murky waters below what was left of an old brick walled structure.

"That's all for you…" The Sunsinger heaved reloading his weapon.

He turned with a momentary feeling of triumph; but only a moment. For in the next, the back of his head exploded out of his feathered helm, and left his limp body to drop down into the already bloodied waters of the Rusted Lands.

Loreley dared a peek up from the Icebreakers scope after the kill. She could not stay long; perched on this old water tank she was very exposed. She jumped down and ducked into a small sort of room a few feet ahead.

"Where's the Titan…" she whispered.

It had been too quiet for too long. And then, footsteps, quick ones from her right. The Gunslinger hurled a timetrip out in the direction and then ran the opposite way. Running back around divided from her enemy by the wall she heard her grenade explode, her fast legs guided her back to where she had run from; and with quick fingers she readied her Dead Orbit hand cannon.

But… there was no body. Before she could react there came a coy, feminine laughter from behind.

"Don't make me laugh!"

She whipped around only to have her back broken by the Striker, as she tackled her down. With scream in pain, Loreley collapsed in a dust heap on the ground, she was already dead. Being dead in the loosest terms that is; all Guardians are technically dead. But none was out until their Light was gone.

Her body being born again in Light was always jarring. Not only was the last memory always one of pain from the cause of death, but the mind didn't always respond well... out in the shallows of the small lake, her body was reassembled from literal nothingness. She shuddered slightly; her mind still thinking the body was in pain; there was always a slight shock to the brain after a Guardian was killed and their light reestablished them.

Stepping forth in the ankle deep waters she readied her strange sniper once again as the feeling faded. Her one eye took in the sight of the same Titan from afar, cautiously moving forward. The next instant she fell down dead; the odd scream of the Icebreaker unleashing the shot.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" The Hunter taunted to no one.

"Good recovery Hunter" Lord Shaxx's voice trumpeted through the audio system.

Loreley took a moment to look up at one of the many cameras looking down on the Guardians little game before moving on. Sometimes in the heat of the Crucible, forgetting one was being watched by the entire City was easy.

To the 'mere mortals' and even several of the Guardians; Crucible was a game: something to be bet upon, have a favorite team or player, but always something to be celebrated. By others it was simply a tool, for harnessing ones skills against the only other warriors on par with themselves. But for Lord Shaxx, and a couple of others it was a sacred arena. One where the rules of engagement were honored, and friends were either made… or lost.

There were several Guardians, who had a difficult time removing themselves from what happened in the Crucible, compared to what went on socially in the Tower. Many grudges and begrudging respects were born from this.

"Heavy Ammo Inbound." Was what Loreley heard next, down in the thick of this arena.

She ran as quietly as possible across the lake, trying not to splash, and made her way into the brick walling that housed one Heavy point. Catching another hunter by surprise she unleashed a barrage of bullets into his stomach before knifing him across the neck. She crouched in the corner quickly reloading her pistol. She pointed it forward, waiting for the inevitable, her left hand gripping the end of her throwing knife.

The wait was short, but still damningly long; and she had 2 exits to cover.

Nothing… until:

"Heavy Ammo available."

The box flashed into existence beside her, and as she grabbed every synth box a large explosion was heard from far away. Had every other Guardian gone to the other spawn point?

Lord Shaxx observed the perfectly executed Nova Bomb from his place in the tower; just one of many Crucible matches going on at the time.

"Merciless" He chuckled.

"Ey, what's on the tube today?" Shaxx was then distracted by a familiar voice.

"Don't you have work to be doing Cayde?" He asked without looking away from the screen.

"But this is the best part!" Cayde-6 beamed looking up at the screen.

"Indeed, two Guardians; one good enough to take the ammunition, the other lucky no one came in on her."

"Now they're gonna meet in the middle." Cayde wisped leaning on Lord Shaxx's desk.

"So you **have** been standing there a while."

"Gotta love the Crucible." Cayde Shrugged.

"Suppose you would," Shaxx agreed. "You glided through it like it was some kind of game."

"It is a game." Cayde shrugged off. "But yeah, I was lucky I guess."

"Luck isn't the same as skill." Shaxx uttered bluntly.

"Yeah? Then how come my Hunter just won that little altercation?" Cayde pointed.

Shaxx looked back up to the monitor, and indeed the match was over and the Gunslinger stood alone at the top, the highest score of the bunch. Lord Shaxx then turned to say something to Cayde-6, only to see the Exo waltzing back to the Hall of Guardians. Shaxx gave a small understanding nod, and then entered the voice channel of the Rusted Land's Gunslinger…

"Hard fought victory Guardian."


	5. Picking Up the Bow

It wasn't often that Loreley had a moment to sit down, especially with the Wolves on the run now. She had almost single handedly demolished their entire 'clan'. She was happy to have a fire team when hunting their leaders from place to place, mostly however; she had taken them on as an army of one.

With Skolas rotting in the Queen's idea of a prison, more of a glorified gladiator ring really; Variks had approached the Gunslinger about fighting in this 'prison'. She had deemed it a waste of time, even after the Elinski had flashed some pretty rewards in her face.

"What's the point in breaking a bunch of war prisoners?" Had been her response.

It didn't matter one way or another, more Guardians of the tower had been all too eager to step in and claim the riches the Reef had to offer. And Loreley was all too eager to put more prisoners in there. It was she, Petra, and of course Variks who had been leading the assault on the House of Wolves in Mara Sov's name.

And now here she lingered, back in the Tower finally; home. Her small room was filled with curiosities from throughout the system, strange guns littered the desk and floor, volumes on a myriad of subjects were stacked neatly beneath said desk. There was a shelf hanging from the wall above, where she had displayed every dead Ghost she had ever come across in the wilds. Her own Ghost had taken to calling it the 'no man left behind wall'.

To Loreley it kept her fellows close, those who had paved the way for what she had to do now.

From the wall above her bed hung her crowning achievement, a bright golden cloak with two black pistols adorning it; the Gunslingers cloak. Cayde-6 had gifted a very small few to Gunslingers he considered impressive, or outstanding. She had never actually worn it, considering it more of a trophy than an accessory.

What was it Cayde had said? That she would be in his chair someday? God, or God's above she hoped not. Loreley didn't care for leadership, didn't want anything to do with it, in fact, she hadn't even led the assault to put down the Hive Prince… No it had been one of Zavala's boys, a smart Titan, among Titans to be sure. Better strategist than a few Warlocks even… No all she had done was brandish the blade against Crota, even if it was true that when she swung down; all six of them wielded the blade. It was her and her alone that had dealt the final strike. That was her place, she was the tip of the spear- a tool to be used and the Vanguard had been making excellent use of her.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?" He ghost materialized in her eye line.

"Just, old war wounds." She drawled groggily.

"Hmm…" The Ghost wondered at her flat tone.

Before he could inquire further she rolled over towards the wall to focus on falling asleep. The little machine peered back at the Gunslingers cloak behind him, he had often wondered why she never wore it, she had prided herself on the accuracy of her guns of light since the day he woke her up. The little light then left her room, to wander around the tower observing as he often did while she was asleep; he didn't require sleep after all; he needed to keep himself preoccupied.

* * *

Golden light of dawn breaking over the city peeked through the fog over the top of the tower like it did every day in the small hours of the new day. Loreley was exiting her bedroom then, carrying her helmet beneath her arm. Her Ghost had wandered off like he always did on nights spent at the Tower, she usually found him on the flight deck watching ships come and go… but today he found her.

"Guardian!" Was what everyone always referred to her as, Ghost included.

"There you are-" she started but was cut off.

"Cayde said he needs you on Venus, immediately." He spoke in a rushed way.

"Alright." Came from her mouth quickly, she wasn't one to question orders no matter where they came from.

During their jump through hyperspace her little light opened a secure channel through to Cayde-6.

"Hey Lore, sorry to send yah out like this." Cayde came through clear as a bell.

"It's fine. What's this about?" She replied coolly.

"We've lost track of a Ranger, Tevis was on an intel gathering mission… remember that Vex gate you found near the Vault?"

"Right, setting down now." She replied as Venus came into view from the depths of space.

"What makes you think he's in trouble?" The Ghost inquired.

"Was overlooking his mission, he walked into the gate just before we lost connection… I can't find him on the radar anywhere… Not that I'm too worried."

Loreley's ship came down over the surface and dropped her down. She loaded a clip into her Red Specter as Cayde continued the briefing.

"Tevis is our most experienced Nightstalker, we can't afford to lose him. Plus you know he's and old friend; owes me money." Cayde joked hiding his concern.

Loreley was inclined to believe it wasn't a total lie however… and Nightstalkers… She had heard of them, the rarest branch of Hunter, few and far in between touched the Void among Hunters and until today she had never seen one in action. At least she hoped she would see him in action, was her thought as she ran forward.

Her feet passed through some strange Void mist, she took little notice of it all around the ground though, when she came across a Goblin. Not readying her weapon as it faced her, no something was wrong with it. It was twitching in malfunction amongst the mist. Her Ghost took notice as well before he started speaking;

"A Nightstalker's bow leaves behind very precise scarring… fascinating."

Loreley left the wretched thing behind without firing a shot, breaking through the tendrils of purple and black. A fuzzy signal came through the channel as she jogged onward into the Vex ruins.

"If anyone can hear me… *fzz* I don't think I'm on Venus anymore, *bzzrp* this looks an awful lot like the Black Garden." He sounded out of breath.

"Tevis! That you?" Cayde chimed.

"Cayde? *ffz* Good thing I can't smell your breath… Listen, *Bzz* I stepped through the gate; my Ghost is still on the other side." He huffed through the crackling.

"Well, he's in a great mood. See if you can find his Ghost, if Tevis is trapped in the Garden he'll need you."

The gunslinger had already made her way over the cliffs with a series of well time jumps. Sparing not a second in shooting down the small clusters of Vex littering the place. Well placed shots of the Specter through the white ooze that was the heart and life-force of each machine. As the bodies piled up she heard a faint buzz overhead.

A Harpy ambush from above- she met in turn with a throwing knife to the closest, and a shotgun to the rest. Loading more shells into the Vanguard weapon her eyes scanned frantically for any sign of a Ghost.

"Frequency?" She muttered to her own Ghost.

"I'm looking…" He replied.

Cocking her shotgun; the air suddenly grew thick and heavy all around them. She had seen this many times, the Vex hive mind was sending bodies her way. She bolted for cover, sliding behind an awkward square of ruins that was erect from the ground.

"They sent Minotaurs…" She grumbled in annoyance.

With some zaps of blue she found herself surrounded by Goblins. With a steady hand and a small amount of patience she made some precision shots, Hobgoblins always proved an annoyance… Sending a knife into one, she ran forwards as it toppled to the ground, picking her knife up out of the mess she made a B-line for a Minotaur.

With one large leap into the air, her right hand shot upward, a blazing heat coursed through her as she called on Light, and it answered; enveloping her body, it all coursed through with a rapid heat into the Golden Gun.

"One…"

Into the heart of a cluster, the harpy exploded taking casualties with it.

"Two…"

She always counted down her shots, and this one tore through the eye of a Minotaur, wounded badly the headless thing made an eerie run at her in its malfunctioning spasms.

"Three."

The last shot pierced it sending out a large explosion. She cleaned up the spare few with her Primary… But no, more had to show up. Loading up a machine gun, she slowly walked through as the Vex, collapsed in mass before her. One last shotgun to the remaining Minotaur… and it seemed over, as quickly as it had begun. Was the Hive Mind satisfied at her performance?

"That, was a lot of shooting- you alright?" Cayde voiced.

"We're fine." The Ghost replied. "I'm picking up the origin point of the broadcast… it's a dead Ghost…"

There was a short pause in speech, that felt like it was far too long as Loreley closed in on the small machine.

"Right… Let's hope Tevis is still kicking," Cayde's voice had lost its optimistic spark.

Even if he was alive, without a Ghost; he couldn't play Guardian anymore. Loreley's Ghost attempted to repair the Ghost, just enough so they could get a pinpoint of Tevis himself. Cayde-6 reassured this fact to his friend;

"Tevis, if you can hear us we're getting telemetry through your Ghost."

"The Vex are attacking quicker and quicker, Nyah.. *brrz* I got no Ghost- and a bow that's short on Light." He heaved, like he was in pain.

"We can use the Gate in the Valley of Kings to get him out." Her own Ghost said quickly with his new Information. "Let's go!"

Loreley nodded agreeing to his haste, she then knelt down and carefully picked up the dead Ghost in her palms. Looking up to the murky sky, rain began to drop when there it was- her ship coming to meet her.

* * *

"Guardian, I've been trying to raise Tevis, he won't answer… H-he's in over his head or…" Cayde paused.

He couldn't say what they were all thinking. This was the first time Loreley heard him sound genuinely afraid. He tried to mask it;

"Lo-look that guy owes me alota glimmer, so uh… he better still be kicking."

As the Guardian's vessel screeched down to the Martian surface, she could hear the shaking in the voice of the Exo;

"Alive, or the other thing- we need to find Tevis. There aren't a lot of Nightstalkers in the field; we can't afford to lose his connection to the Void to the Vex. Go get em'."

The Gunslinger's boots pounded loudly down onto the Vex ruins, she had to be quicker, and even as her lungs pleaded in pain for her to stop she gained speed steadily forward to her Hunter counterpart.

"Tevis is a cheat, and a liar, _**and**_ he smells like a barrel of thrall spit- but he's _**our**_ cheat! The Vex can't have em'!"

She skated alongside the structure, the Garden visible in its vastness over the horizon; completely ignoring the Vex that crowded the upper level, she was nearly there; she had to get there in time. She had to. Barreling up the stairs into a hall she knifed a Goblin foolish enough to get in her way in the stomach, the white goo splattered out over her arm as the machine component sputtered and sparked to the ground.

With a leap upward, she came down with a shotgun over another damn Minotaur. It exploded beneath her, but then her speed came to a dead stop, there were three harpies just head, gathered around something on the floor, looking down at it. These three had no time to even notice her presence before they were filled with bullets, falling to pieces in spark and flame.

"Guardian down…" She breathed lowly.

Those were the words Cayde heard next, the words he had not wanted to hear. She approached the fallen comrade with caution, or reverence perhaps. Cayde-6, had fallen short of words.

"Tevis is gone… but the light in his bow still burns."

"Won't stay lit forever." Cayde replied, his head hanging low. "Make it your own."

She paused a moment… bent down carefully on one knee and placed her left hand in the violet light. At first, it felt like nothing at all… but then all at once, she felt different; changed. Her Light had changed, it changed suddenly; and then all at once, purely on instinct she felt her fingers gripping at something. It was not the familiar grip of a gun… No- it was a bow.

At this realization the bow instantly came to be in her hand. She was filled with Light, different but the same as before. She came to a standing position, the strange but familiar tingle in her right hand- she understood. Pulling back on the string of the bow, the arrow came into existence; she felt it; the Light surging through her as it had with the Golden Gun.

'Shoot' something told her, 'it will land its mark'. And she did. The Arrow screamed up at the sky, exploding in a triumphant display of Light and shade. This… this was the Void. This was Light, bent into another spectrum, an unfamiliar one to her, an unfamiliarity that feels like an old friend.

The Nightstalker turned back into the ruins. She marched onward, unafraid as dozens of red eyes fell upon her form.

"You know I was there when he first picked up that bow." Cayde's voice was raspy and tired.

"You have it?"

"We do…" Her Ghost replied after she had not.

"Take them out Guardian- make them pay."

All the Vex turned to the smokey residue that Tevis had left behind, the form of a solitary Hunter emerged from it, the Void wisping in tendrils around her limbs embracing her- as if it respected her. Her fingertips glowed with an angry violet hue, this glow exploded into a seemingly solid bow. She didn't know how she could focus the light to stay solid for so long; but she did.

Leaping through the air the Nightstalker fired a barrage of shots into the machines; they burst into light upon being struck, the rest mercilessly caught up in the tethers the traps left behind. There was no need for guns; the bow and arrows were all she needed to end them, as the Light burned through her body- threatening to swallow her into the Void if she stopped shooting.

If anyone had ever told Loreley before this, that the Vex could not feel pain; she would no longer believe them. Not as they tried in vain to escape the tethers, not as she cut through them; not as the Void took them. Her violet furry burned throughout the whole of these ruins, each shot setting up another piece of the intricate web of traps.

She ran through a bleak smoke that seemed to follow her around now, still holding the bow, she had never before managed to keep the Light surging through her being this long, and one by one the Vex drones fell, or dissolved with horrible screams and cries. She ran throughout the halls, through the large circular room that no Guardian had set foot in before.

Minotaur's were dispatched to deal with her, but even they could not stand up to the flurry of shadow shots, and the Light within her gave no signs of letting up.

Until she stood alone, alone in the musky, dark web she had created… the Light that had just a moment ago seemed limitless, now left her being, The bow disintegrated into nothingness, and the Guardian fell to her hands and knees in the shallow waters among the collapsed giants.

She looked down at the backs of her hands, her breathing coming to a steady slow. The Void; its mist and its traps, began to fade until they too were nothing. Thunder began to rumble in the distance, funny how it sounded the same on earth. Looking to her own reflection among the her hands in the shallows, Cayde spoke;

"I'll be honest Guardian, I wasn't sure you could connect with the Void… it's always a challenge. I should have known better. We may have lost Tevis, but your strength means the Vanguard still owns the night. Come on back."

"Cayde?" Loreley exhaled getting her strength back.

"I'm sorry… I wasn't quick enough."

Before Cayde-6 could respond, the connection cut with a buzz.

* * *

There was a funerary service held in the large walk above the hall of Guardians the next day, the body of Tevis was burned; given back to the light. Cayde-6 had informed the Vanguard of the existence of the new Nightstalker, and well Lord Shaxx, being Shaxx decided to not make light on the death of a Guardian, prepping the piece of the black Garden where he had fallen to become another grounds for the Crucible. That was probably the highest form of respect one could receive from Lord Shaxx.

Loreley found herself alone at the end of the service, as the pyre burnt down to little more than cinders. They blew away in the shifting winds, over the side of the Tower. Cayde hadn't gone far… he looked at her standing out there alone, no helmet, and her curly locks bending and riding the breezes. The thing she had said to him was sorry for not being quick enough; surely she knew he didn't blame her… right?

Cayde approached, standing next to her as the last of the ashes burned away into the purple orange sky.

"Ahem…" He tried to break the silence.

She still looked down steadily… but she did answer.

"Another Guardian down." Her voice was steady but low.

"Hey don't start talkin' like Eris…" He joked.

But he too was in a great deal of pain, not just Tevis but many friends had been lost along the way.

"Did Tevis really owe you glimmer?" She cracked half a smile

"You better believe it." He chuckled without missing a beat, but then his face grew stern;

"It wasn't your fault Lore."

She turned facing him now; he could see her green eyes had been crying. Cayde searched his head for something to follow up with.

"Hey do you remember what you asked me the first time we met?"

"No…"

"What does it mean to be a Hunter? I think it was…"

"Yes. I believe you said 'If I find an answer I'll let yah know."

"Yeah…" He halfheartedly laughed over the pyre.

"Well I think I found one… It's all about where you belong, Lore."

She stared at him, hanging onto his words.

"The Warlocks have their libraries, the Titans have their walls. But Hunters, we belong in the wilds. Out there you wana live you'd better have a quick shot, or a sharp blade. I know you… and a lot of us are loners. But that's not the only path.

"No some of us know the difference a fire team makes, some of us touch the Void; make it a part of us."

She had closed her eyes and turned her head away by this point.

"And you take the name Nightstalker."

Cayde gripped her shoulders.

"Hunt from the Shadows, pin them down- never let them see you coming. You belong to the night now."

"I wasn't quick enough Cayde." She said it sternly. "I will not be that sloppy again."

She broke away from his hands and marched down the path, leaving Cayde-6 alone by the pyre. She was going back to the Tower, back to the task at hand, to another day with no margin for error.

Tevis's Ghost joining the 'No man left behind wall' soon after.

* * *

 _ **Bum bum bum.**_


	6. Into the Dark

Toland's voice was drab and dry, like one would expect from a professor; made Loreley think of old parchment. Fitting for a Warlock as it was, it did make listening to these endless journals of his, a bit difficult; but holy hell Eris didn't lie when she said he knew what there was to be known of the Hive. Never hurts to be prepared were her Ghost's thoughts, but now in this pit that had been torn aggressively into the moon's surface surrounded by them it was more than a little distracting. She much preferred Cayde's advice- to hold fast to her gun. The trusty pistol given the name Ace of Spades twirled over her index finger expertly, it made an excellent Thrall clearing gun with headshots.

The Guardian came to a stop in front of a corridor that was clearly darker than what lay behind her, she rolled her head back, letting out a small sigh…

"Well, isn't this familiar."

"You've seen one grungy Hive dungeon, you've seen them all." Little Light replied without missing a beat.

"Let's go say hi." Loreley spoke like the cat stalking the mouse.

Her boots made grotesque squishing sounds as she strode through the dark, Little Light keeping himself busy reading Toland's journal; only took him a second- lucky bastard, but he did play the interesting bits aloud for her to hear still.

" **A Dreadnaught shields the Hive from the Traveler's Light. Were we to pass through its deepest layers, our Light would be as a dying sun."**

"I don't think Toland was much fun at parties…" Little Light whispered, apparently sharing Loreley's view.

The dark grew heavy around her as they moved on, until she could only see what lied within the cone of light the Ghost cast over her shoulder, and in the quiet that followed along the dark's trail she noticed how calm it was. This had not been her experience with pretty much every other Hive pit she'd ever gone into; something wasn't right. All to be heard when Toland's voice stopped was her squishing; until she stopped and it continued. She cast a side glance down to her left, and then found herself doing a double take- there was a Thrall but it was eating… eating the strange fungus growing all over. She braced herself for an attack, however the gangly creature didn't seem aware of her presence at all; she could work with that.

A flickering light pierced her eyes from just ahead when she continued a ways, she walked through the trail she had tread before slowly as there were more Thrall all over the place and It was actually starting to kick in a bit of her gag reflex, the end of her throat twitched at the stench arising from the cave.

"If the Thrall still feed, Crota's essence must endure." Eris noted

Loreley wanted to make this quick and let them be, with their disgusting habit. Glowing crystal and piles of bones were her path forward, a few Hive seeders later and there came a familiar sight; the room where she had dueled those four wizards and their pets while those three damning eyes had watched from their black, crystal prison. That somehow felt a lifetime ago, when working under the Titan she had chosen to lead her fireteam down into Crota's pit had been her biggest problem, and shortly after greatest achievement. Was a hell of a party in the Tower after that Raid had been done… not that she cared to recall how that party had ended for her.

'It's irrelevant now' she thought shaking herself away from nostalgia.

She crouched down and snuck her way over towards what was left of the shattered Hive crystal. The ground surrounding it was a dry shifting sand, and despite her best efforts it made noise as she moved on it. That same primeval feeling ribcage still surrounded the area like a cage in addition to all the rock strata; Little Light had scanned it last time she was victorious here, only to get a glimpse into the legacy of cruelty Oryx had been extending to every race he had come across. How many forms of sentient life and their culture had met their end at his reign; only to have him wear the fact proudly on his sleeve like a medal of honor… how different were Guardians in this regard, a subject that had been gnawing at Loreley since the Black Garden fiasco.

She laid her palms over the surface of the crystal, readying her companion to get the sample, when a deep and ripping sound shook the walls all around. Quickly coming to a standing position, the sounds origins- an Ogre, stepped into the dim light. Without a smidge of hesitation, she sent a void arrow screeching for its bulbous head; writhing and wailing at the burning Light the creature maintained enough composure to step forward and begin its own burning assault. The Thrall soon began to pour in from cracks and crevice's all around, quickly cutting their numbers was always the only way to deal with the horrid things; numbers easily overwhelm. However even after disposing of the majority she was shocked to see the Ogre squirming at the grip of something else when arising from the cover she had taken.

And in one blink, accompanied by an echoing howl- the Ogre was gone.

"It's gone… I think Oryx just took and Ogre." The Ghost said in bewilderment.

"Not even oryx can control an Ogre, unless It's Taken." Eris enlightened them. "Now, quickly, I need a shard of that Crystal!"

Loreley lowered her gun slowly, staring at where the Ogre had been, stepping backwards for just one or two steps the Guardian made her way back to the black crystal and had her Ghost retrieve the sample.

"We've got it!" he chimed happily.

Eris was straight to the point as per the usual;

"I knew it could be done. And does it still hold the whisper of Crota's soul?"

"According to my analysis, it's empty." The little machine replied with a much less exited tone.

"No matter." Eris dismissed it quickly. "Return to me Guardian, and we will destroy-"

The line filled with static. Loreley put her hand up to the ear of her helm; tapping the receiver within it. The voice of Cayde-6 came up, however the signal was weak, he sounded far away and spoke through increasingly worsening static…

"Guardian we're losing you. Guardian, can you hear (blip)"

The line had completely dropped.

"Cayde? Hello? Did it drop?" She asked to no one.

"Eris, Cayde?" Little Light persisted. "I think we've lost them. Something's blocking our signal and our transmat."

So we take the long way out…" Loreley huffed wearily turning on her heel.

Before she took even one step however, there was a loud and ominous whistling sort of noise from behind. She glanced over her shoulder to see a familiar face of ethereal black and white mingling through the air, as it cursed her.

"Infection! Your Light dies here!"

'Aw crap…" She muttered.

* * *

"Guardian we're losing you. Guardian, can you hear me?" Cayde-6 was trying to keep the connection.

"Signal lost" His Ghost proclaimed.

"Damn, get them outa there." He persisted.

His Ghost seemed in thought for a moment, before returning to looking at his Guardian.

"Transmat's down too." It replied.

"Okay, then establish another-"His aggravated tone was interrupted by a hushed but frantic tone from across the table.

"It's him…" she stared widely with three piercing eyes into her rock. "He's set his gaze upon her, he means to end her, here and now!"

"Get a connection now, audio, video whatever- get me in there!" Cayde pulled up a digital map on the moons inner workings.

His fingers worked quickly, he found the place the Crystal had been in the catacombic fortress and zoomed up on it."

"That's where she last was, I need a live feed."

"I can't get any sort of signal." His small machine replied quickly.

"Do you not see?" Eris cried, "he does not want wandering eyes upon his prey- this was my fate at the hands of his son."

"Well then by all means, tell me what I can do then." Cayde snipped at her.

"I cannot see through the Darkness…" She gripped at her head "it is a vast ocean and she is a drop of Light."

"You do that, I'm gonna try something useful!"

Cayde's fingers flew all over a hollow board, if he couldn't get her back through his Ghost he would go in with a manual signal. All he had to do was seek the areas on his map, Lore was good in a tight situation; she would know to head for the surface, all he had to do was check the upper layers. Closer to the surface would mean an easier connection anyways. He sent individual calls for a signal to each of the upper corridors repeatedly, The World's Grave and everything higher.

"Come on…" He whispered without realizing it.

His eyes scanning the map waiting for a response, anything really. Growing impatient he began sending more waves through and Eris began speaking louder to get his attention.

"I see… flame… His presence- eyes everywhere. There are so many there, so much of his army…" She peered deeply into the green flames of her scrying husk "She has fallen into shadow- it moves to swallow her whole."

"Ghost try getting me something here." Cayde-6 pointed to a zoomed in piece of his moon mappings.

"Her Ghost's signal is present. Establishing Audio." He replied.

"Get visual connection if-"

Eris cut him off mid-sentence;

"Focus on transmatting her and the crystal, before it's too late."

"Eris enough." Cayde snapped, eyes focused on his map.

"The Taken will keep all doors to the surface under lock and guard, under the eyes of King. We are going to loose her, just like Eriana!"

"I said that's enough!" Cayde-6 slammed his open palms down on the table.

The two stared each other down, gritted teeth and glaring eyes. Before it could go further Cayde's Ghost spoke again.

"Signal lost… Updating last known coordinates."

Cayde looked over to his 3D map, she was past the World's Grave, way past it in the Temple of Crota.

"She can make it- she's close! Keep trying for transmat Ghost." Cayde's voice grew steady with confidence once again.

They waited… it felt an eternity.

"Audio connection is weak, but there." Cayde's Ghost said in haste putting it through speaker.

"Guardian? Can you hear us?" The Vanguard Hunter leader inquired.

He was greeted by the sound of gunfire, a roar of pain or triumph; it was hard to tell with the Taken- and then a scream of pain and a burst of static, the scream of pain was in her voice.

"Loreley, respond!" Cayde-6 called maintaining a nervous sort of composure.

The static cleared, as her icon on his map moved, in live time.

"The last husk is in." Her voice came through clear as a bell.

"Guardian?" Eris spoke in astonished relief, and then haste and purpose. "Get out of that pit! We must have the crystal or we'll never reach Oryx!"

Static took the signal again.

"I'm moving as fast as this mob will let me… damnit." The Nightstalker cursed the Lost signal once again.

Cayde-6 however shot his tricloptic companion a dirty look, she seemed more concerned with this crystal which may or may not contain what they need than the Guardian. Made him wonder; but as always Cayde-6 maintained his suave outward composition, it was his job to, and his eyes returned to watching her dot move towards the surface.

"I see it- Daylight" Little Light said in glee.

Loreley lanced a foreboding, and large Taken Wizard with a Shadowshot and sprinted for the door to the moon's surface- to her escape.

Static on both ends; and then a complete, and strong signal.

"Guardian is that you?" Cayde-6 had a smile in his voice.

"We made it out." Her Ghost smiled back.

Loreley just sighed out a tired, "Yeaah…" arching back to stretch her body, eyes upon a field of stars.

Eris interrupted Cayde's relief- she was good at it.

"Then the Taken King will fall. Bring me his dead son's crystal."

"That's how Eris says, she appreciates your sacrifice. Glad you're still alive." Cayde's voice was oddly warm in his speech.

Was he worried? Loreley didn't doubt that Eris was- she worried over everything. But Cayde-6, the smooth operator; who was she kidding though, the Guardian was too tired to care. She sat on a moon rock rubbing the back of her neck, it sent her hood down to her neck.

"If I live through this I want a vacation." She huffed.

"That's fair." Cayde chuckled.

"Loreley out."

And with that the signal dropped from the Vanguard completely. As the Hunter on the moon's surface faded back into her ship, the one in the Tower turned his attention to one Eris Morn.

"What?" She said to meet his stare.

"I know that Oryx needs to die, and I know you have more experience with the Hive than pretty much anybody… I get it, really." Cayde-6 paused taking in her expression, or lack thereof.

"But you don't get to give orders to Guardians, to fill out this vendetta you have on Crota's line- least of all my Hunters."

"Your Hunters… or just Loreley?" She spoke lowly, and coy.

"Both." He snapped in an uncharacteristic way.

"Don't think I won't be standing right here, overseeing the rest of this little quest she's been set on. You give her anything to do without running it by me first; there's gonna be a problem. "

He leaned in closer, his palms squarely on the table.

"Are there going to be problems, Eris?"

"Relax Cayde. You're overthinking my pleas for her hurriedly delivering the crystal. Once Oryx is dead you will see this was the right course of action, time will prove me right. I want to keep our Guardians safe as much as you…" She looked down to her rock as it swirled over her curled fingers.

"this is why, Oryx must be destroyed, for good. Tell me, can you think of one better than she who handpicked the fireteam which ended his son? Guardians are made to go into the dark, and they sometimes don't come back up again. This is our charge, our duty and our mission."

"Just remember, that their lives are just as important as the mission next time." Cayde-6 said sternly, in a dangerous tone.

"Nothing; is more important than the missions. That is why Guardians were made." Said she who had lost her Light in pursuit of her vendetta.


End file.
